JP2014151682A - Vehicle mounted with fuel cell and operation method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a vehicle mounted with a fuel cell to reliably prevent hydrogen leaking from the fuel cell from being sucked by an air conditioning device and to block the hydrogen from being introduced into a vehicle interior as much as possible, with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A vehicle mounted with a fuel cell 10 comprises an air conditioning device 54 which has an external air introduction port 56, an inner air introduction port 58 and a route switch damper 62. An ECU 68 has: a hydrogen concentration determination section 70 which determines whether or not a hydrogen concentration in a front room 18 detected by a hydrogen sensor 66 is not less than a threshold; and a switch mechanism control section 72 which controls the route switch damper 62 to switch an air conditioning air introduction route 60 to the inner air introduction port 58 when the hydrogen concentration is determined to be not less than the threshold.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell-equipped vehicle in which a fuel cell is mounted in a front room formed in front of a dashboard, and a driving method thereof.

  For example, in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, an electrolyte membrane / electrode structure (MEA) in which an anode electrode and a cathode electrode are disposed on both sides of an electrolyte membrane made of a polymer ion exchange membrane is sandwiched between separators. Has a cell. This type of fuel cell is usually used as an in-vehicle fuel cell stack, for example, by stacking a predetermined number of power generation cells.

  In this in-vehicle fuel cell stack, a configuration in which the fuel cell is arranged in the front room (motor room) of the vehicle is known. At this time, fuel gas may leak from the fuel cell in the front room, and a fuel gas detection device capable of detecting the leakage of the fuel gas is employed.

  For example, a vehicle fuel gas detection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The vehicle fuel gas detection device includes a fuel cell system having a fuel cell mounted in a vehicle front room, and a fuel gas detection means for detecting fuel gas leaked from the fuel cell system. The vehicle is provided with a hood that can be opened and closed and covers the entire front room in the closed state, and the fuel gas detection means is located on the side of the hood facing the front room and closest to the passenger compartment. Is provided.

JP 2010-12958 A

  As described above, in Patent Document 1, the fuel cell is disposed in the front room of the vehicle. For this reason, in the front room, the air conditioner (air conditioner unit) may be operated with hydrogen leaking from the fuel cell. At that time, the outside air introduction port of the air conditioner opens into the front room, and hydrogen is sucked from the outside air introduction port, which may cause the hydrogen to enter the cabin (cabin).

  The present invention solves this type of problem, and with a simple configuration, hydrogen leaking from the fuel cell can be reliably suppressed from being sucked into the air conditioner, and the hydrogen is introduced into the vehicle interior. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell-equipped vehicle capable of preventing the occurrence of the failure and a driving method thereof.

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell mounted in a front room formed in front of a dashboard, a hydrogen detector disposed in the front room, an opening in the front room, and flowing through the front room. An outside air introduction port for introducing air, an inside air introduction port for introducing air in a vehicle compartment formed at the rear of the dashboard, and a path switching mechanism for switching an air conditioning air introduction route between the outside air introduction port and the inside air introduction port The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle equipped with an air conditioner and a control device for controlling the air conditioner, and an operation method thereof.

  In this fuel cell-equipped vehicle, the control device includes a hydrogen concentration determination unit that determines whether or not the hydrogen concentration in the front room detected by the hydrogen detection unit is equal to or higher than a threshold value, and the detected inside of the front room. A switching mechanism control unit that controls the path switching mechanism to switch the air conditioning air introduction path to the inside air introduction port regardless of the operation status of the air conditioner when it is determined that the hydrogen concentration is equal to or higher than the threshold value; It has.

  Further, in this fuel cell vehicle, the air conditioner includes a blower for supplying air into the passenger compartment, and the control device determines that the detected hydrogen concentration in the front room is greater than or equal to the threshold value. It is preferable that a blower control unit for stopping the drive of the blower is provided.

  Further, in this fuel cell vehicle, the outside air inlet is preferably arranged adjacent to the gap between the hood member that can be opened and closed above the front room and the upper part of the dashboard.

  Furthermore, in this operation method, the step of determining whether or not the hydrogen concentration in the front room detected by the hydrogen detector is equal to or higher than the threshold value, and the detected hydrogen concentration in the front room is the threshold value. And a step of switching the air-conditioning air introduction path to the inside air introduction port regardless of the operation status of the air-conditioning apparatus.

  In this operation method, the air conditioner has a blower for supplying air into the passenger compartment, and when it is determined that the detected hydrogen concentration in the front room is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the blower The drive is stopped.

  According to the present invention, when hydrogen leakage from the fuel cell mounted in the front room is detected, the air conditioning air introduction path is switched to the inside air introduction port in the air conditioner. For this reason, the outside air inlet is blocked from the front room, and the hydrogen in the front room can be reliably prevented from being sucked into the outside air inlet.

  Therefore, hydrogen does not enter the passenger compartment from the air conditioner. In particular, it is possible to prevent hydrogen from flowing from the air conditioner into the passenger compartment due to the ram pressure that is likely to occur when the fuel cell electric vehicle is traveling. Thereby, it is possible to reliably suppress the hydrogen leaking from the fuel cell from being sucked into the air conditioner with a simple configuration, and to prevent the introduction of the hydrogen into the passenger compartment as much as possible. It becomes possible.

1 is a partial schematic side view of a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a partially schematic perspective view of the fuel cell vehicle. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the air conditioner which constitutes the fuel cell loading vehicle. It is explanatory drawing of ECU which comprises the said fuel cell mounting vehicle. It is a flowchart explaining the driving | running method which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a fuel cell electric vehicle (vehicle equipped with a fuel cell) 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an automobile body 12.

  The automobile body 12 forms a cabin (cabin) 17 with a dashboard 14 and a windshield 16, and a front room (motor room) 18 is formed in front of the dashboard 14. A front end portion 16 a of the windshield 16 is disposed at the upper end of the dashboard 14. The upper part of the front room 18 can be opened and closed by a front cover (hood member) 20.

  The automobile body 12 includes a pair of main frames 22, which extend in the vehicle length direction (arrow A direction) and are arranged up to the front end in the front room 18, and in the vehicle width direction (FIG. 2). Middle, arrow B direction). As shown in FIG. 1, a fuel cell unit 26 is attached to the main frame 22.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell unit 26 includes a fuel cell stack 30 in which a plurality of power generation cells 28 are stacked in the vehicle width direction (arrow B direction). Terminal plates 32a and 32b, insulating plates 34a and 34b, and end plates 36a and 36b are disposed at both ends of the power generation cell 28 in the stacking direction. The power generation cells 28 may be stacked in the vehicle length direction (arrow A direction) or the vehicle height direction (arrow C direction).

  Although not shown, the power generation cell 28 is configured by sandwiching an electrolyte membrane / electrode structure (MEA) between a pair of separators (metal separator or carbon separator). The end plate 36a has a fuel gas supply manifold 38a for supplying fuel gas along the stacking direction of the plurality of power generation cells 28, a fuel gas discharge manifold 38b for discharging the fuel gas, and an oxidant gas supply for supplying oxidant gas. A manifold 40a and an oxidant gas discharge manifold 40b for discharging the oxidant gas are provided.

  Although not shown, the end plate 36b is provided with a cooling medium supply manifold that supplies a cooling medium along the stacking direction of the plurality of power generation cells 28 and a cooling medium discharge manifold that discharges the cooling medium. The end plates 36a and 36b are fixed to the main frame 22 via attachment members 42a and 42b.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a drive motor 44 is attached to the main frame 22, and the drive motor 44 is connected to axles 46L and 46R on both the left and right sides. Wheels 48L and 48R are attached to the respective axles 46L and 46R.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a vent hole 50 is formed at the upper end of the dashboard 14 for allowing rainwater flowing down from the windshield 16 to pass therethrough. A drainage cowl member 52 is disposed below the front end portion 16 a of the windshield 16. The cowl member 52 extends in the vehicle width direction, and both ends in the vehicle width direction are fixed to the automobile body 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an air conditioner 54 is attached to the dashboard 14 from the passenger compartment 17 side. The air conditioner 54 is opened in the front room 18 and introduces the outside air introduction port 56 for introducing the air flowing through the front room 18 and the inside air introduction for introducing the air in the vehicle compartment 17 formed behind the dashboard 14. There is provided a path switching damper (path switching mechanism) 62 for switching the opening 58 and the air-conditioning air introduction path 60 to the outside air introduction port 56 and the inside air introduction port 58.

  The air-conditioning air introduction path 60 is a flow path for supplying air sucked from the outside air introduction port 56 or the inside air introduction port 58 to a heat exchange unit (not shown), and the air whose temperature has been adjusted by the heat exchange unit is , And is ejected into the passenger compartment 17. The air conditioner 54 includes a blower (or fan) 64 for supplying air into the passenger compartment 17.

  The outside air introduction port 56 is disposed adjacent to a gap between the front cover 20 that can be opened and closed above the front room 18 and the upper portion of the dashboard 14. Specifically, the outside air introduction port 56 is provided so as to open to the upper side portion of the cowl member 52.

  A hydrogen sensor (hydrogen detection unit) 66 located above the fuel cell unit 26 is attached to the back surface of the front cover 20 directly or via a frame (not shown). The fuel cell unit 26 is equipped with an ECU 68 as a control device.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ECU 68 includes a hydrogen concentration determination unit 70 that determines whether or not the hydrogen concentration in the front room 18 detected by the hydrogen sensor 66 is greater than or equal to a threshold value, and the detected front room 18. When the internal hydrogen concentration is determined to be equal to or higher than the threshold value, the path switching damper 62 is controlled to switch the air conditioning air introduction path 60 to the internal air introduction port 58 regardless of the operating state of the air conditioner 54. A switching mechanism control unit 72.

  The ECU 68 further includes a blower control unit 74 that stops driving the blower 64 when it is determined that the detected hydrogen concentration in the front room 18 is equal to or greater than a threshold value. The threshold value of the hydrogen concentration is appropriately set based on the hydrogen concentration actually introduced into the passenger compartment 17 or the like.

  The operation of the fuel cell vehicle 10 configured as described above will be described below.

  In the fuel cell unit 26, as shown in FIG. 2, hydrogen gas is supplied as the fuel gas to the fuel gas supply manifold 38a provided on the end plate 36a, and the oxidant gas is supplied to the oxidant gas supply manifold 40a. As air is supplied.

  As a result, power is generated in each power generation cell 28, and output power from the fuel cell unit 26 is sent to the drive motor 44, for example. For this reason, the fuel cell vehicle 10 can travel under the rotational action of the drive motor 44.

  On the other hand, on the end plate 36b side, the cooling medium is supplied to a cooling medium supply manifold (not shown). Accordingly, each power generation cell 28 is cooled and maintained within a desired temperature range.

  Next, the operation method according to the present invention will be described below along the flowchart shown in FIG.

  The hydrogen concentration in the front room 18 is detected by the hydrogen sensor 66 (step S1). In the ECU 68, the hydrogen concentration determination unit 70 determines whether or not the detected hydrogen concentration is greater than or equal to a threshold value (step S2).

  If it is determined that the detected hydrogen concentration is equal to or higher than the threshold value (YES in step S2), the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, it is determined whether or not the blower 64 of the air conditioner 54 is being driven. If it is determined that the blower 64 is being driven (YES in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4, and the blower control unit 74 stops driving the blower 64.

  In step S5, the path switching damper 62 is controlled by the switching mechanism control unit 72. For this reason, the air-conditioning air introduction path 60 is switched to the inside air introduction port 58, and the outside air introduction port 56 is blocked from the front room 18 (see the solid line in FIG. 4).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3 that the blower 64 is stopped (NO in step S3), the process proceeds to step S5. Therefore, regardless of the operating status of the air conditioner 54, the air conditioning air introduction path 60 is switched to the inside air introduction port 58 under the action of the switching mechanism control unit 72.

  Thus, in this embodiment, when hydrogen leakage from the fuel cell stack 30 mounted in the front room 18 is detected, the air conditioning air introduction path 60 is switched to the inside air introduction port 58 in the air conditioner 54. It has been. Thereby, the outside air introduction port 56 is blocked from the front room 18, and it is possible to reliably prevent the hydrogen in the front room 18 from being sucked into the outside air introduction port 56.

  For this reason, hydrogen does not enter the passenger compartment 17 from the air conditioner 54. In particular, it is possible to prevent hydrogen from flowing from the air conditioner 54 into the passenger compartment 17 by the ram pressure that is likely to be generated when the fuel cell electric vehicle 10 is traveling. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably suppress the hydrogen leaked from the fuel cell stack 30 from being sucked into the air conditioner 54 with a simple configuration, and to introduce the hydrogen into the passenger compartment 17 as much as possible. The effect that it becomes possible to stop is acquired.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fuel cell electric vehicle 12 ... Auto body 14 ... Dashboard 16 ... Windshield 17 ... Car compartment 18 ... Front room 22 ... Main frame 26 ... Fuel cell unit 28 ... Power generation cell 44 ... Drive motor 50 ... Vent 52 ... Cowl Member 54 ... Air conditioner 56 ... Outside air introduction port 58 ... Inside air introduction port 60 ... Air introduction air introduction route 62 ... Path switching damper 64 ... Blower 66 ... Hydrogen sensor 68 ... ECU
70 ... Hydrogen concentration determination unit 72 ... Switching mechanism control unit 74 ... Blower control unit

Claims (5)

A fuel cell mounted in a front room formed in front of the dashboard;
A hydrogen detector disposed in the front room;
An outside air introduction port that opens into the front room and introduces air that has flowed through the front room, an inside air introduction port that introduces air in the passenger compartment formed at the rear of the dashboard, and an air-conditioning air introduction path are defined as An air conditioner including a path switching mechanism for switching between an introduction port and the inside air introduction port;
A control device for controlling the air conditioner;
A vehicle equipped with a fuel cell,
The control device includes a hydrogen concentration determination unit that determines whether or not the hydrogen concentration in the front room detected by the hydrogen detection unit is equal to or greater than a threshold value;
When it is determined that the detected hydrogen concentration in the front room is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the air conditioning air introduction path is switched to the room air introduction port regardless of the operation status of the air conditioner. A switching mechanism control unit for controlling the path switching mechanism;
A vehicle equipped with a fuel cell. 2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner includes a blower for supplying air into the vehicle interior.
The fuel cell-equipped vehicle, comprising: a blower control unit that stops driving of the blower when it is determined that the detected hydrogen concentration in the front room is equal to or greater than the threshold value.   3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the outside air introduction port is disposed adjacent to a gap between a hood member that can be opened and closed above the front room and an upper portion of the dashboard. A vehicle equipped with a fuel cell. A fuel cell mounted in a front room formed in front of the dashboard;
A hydrogen detector disposed in the front room;
An outside air introduction port that opens into the front room and introduces air that has flowed through the front room, an inside air introduction port that introduces air in the passenger compartment formed at the rear of the dashboard, and an air-conditioning air introduction path are provided as the outside air. An air conditioner including a path switching mechanism for switching between an introduction port and the inside air introduction port;
A control device for controlling the air conditioner;
A method of driving a vehicle equipped with a fuel cell comprising:
Determining whether the hydrogen concentration in the front room detected by the hydrogen detector is equal to or greater than a threshold;
When it is determined that the detected hydrogen concentration in the front room is equal to or higher than the threshold value, regardless of the operation status of the air conditioner, the step of switching the air conditioning air introduction path to the inside air inlet;
A method for driving a vehicle equipped with a fuel cell, comprising: 5. The operation method according to claim 4, wherein the air conditioner has a blower for supplying air into the vehicle interior.
A driving method of a fuel cell-equipped vehicle, wherein driving of the blower is stopped when it is determined that the detected hydrogen concentration in the front room is equal to or higher than the threshold value.

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